Volatile aluminum compounds and process of producing same.



SAMUEL PEACOCK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

VOLATILE ALUMINUM COMPOUNDS AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING SAME.

No Drawing.

T 0 all whomit may concern Be it known that I, SAMUEL Pnxcoe-K, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Volatile Aluminum Compounds and Processes of Producing Same; .and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a process of producing a volatile compound of carbon. nitrogen and aluminum from gaseous nitrogen, carbon and alumina.

My invention also relates to the new volatile product produced by this process, and has for its object the fixation of free nitrogen in a manner more eflicient and less expensive than the methods -heretofore proposed.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the new product and novel steps constituting my process more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my process I prepare a charge of finely divided alumina and carbon, in suitable proportions, and preferably briquet the said charge. I then introduce the charge into a suitable furnace. Gaseous nitrogen, or producer gas is then introduced into the furnace chamber and an electric current is turned on, or other suitable heat ing means are employed to raise the temperature to say substantially 1550 0., whereupon I have reason to believe the following reaction takes place duced is less than is the case when the pres sure is that of the atmosphere; and that Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 191 5.

Application filed April 18, 1914. Serial No. 832,809.

when the pressure is less than that of the atmosphere the proportion of volatile product is greater than is the case when the atmosphere pressures exists in the furnace. For example, when the pressure in the furnace is maintained for 45 minutes at 1000 m.m. of mercury, about 70% of the carbonitrid formed is volatilized while the remainder is found as a solid in the charge; when the pressure is maintained at 760 m.m. for the same period substantially all the carbo-nitrid is volatilized; and when the pressure is less than that of the atmosphere all the carbo-nitrid is volatilized in a period of time less than l5. minutes.

Either nitrogen gas or producer gas may be employed as above stated, and when producer gas is employed such gas may contain on the average about nitrogen, N and 38% carbon monoxid, CO, so that when the nitrogen is removed by my process theproducer gas is greatly improved and enriched by the carbon monoxid CO, generated by the reaction, and said producer gas can therefore later be utilized to greater advantage for combustion or other purposes. That is to say, from the carbo-nitrid equation, above, it is evident that for each volume of nitrogen fixed, an equal volume of carbon monoxid CO, is liberated, and joins the furnace gases. Now when producer gas is employed, having say (30% of nitrogen and 38% of carbon monoxid. and when one third or 20% of the nitrogen is fixed, it is evident that 20% of carbon monoxid will still be added to the 38"} of carbon monoxid already present. Accordingly the resulting mixture will contain of carbon monoxid instead of its original 38%. It follows, therefore, that the producer gas by my process is not only purified of its nitrogen but it is also enriched by a substantial addition of carbon monoxid causing it to become a valuable by-product.

In carrying out the process in order to avoid a serious retardation of the reaction it is desirable to maintain such a flow of nitrogen through the furnace' that the partial pressure of the carbon monoxid gas present will not exceed say 350 to 400 millimeters of mercury.

The "olatile carbo-nitrid thus produced may be recovered by leading it from the furnace and allowing it to solidify or con- .dense in suitable chambers, or-by absorp- If the carbo-nitrid is recovered by treatment with water, it hydrolizes forming alumina and a polymer of cyanamid having some of the properties of melamin, the combined nitrogen of which may be converted into ammonia by heating the solution to substantially 200 (Y. vessel.

If the volatile. product is allowed to condense as a loose powder when recovering it, it is apt to absorb any moisture with which it mightcome in contact and also to rapidly oxidize if exposed to free oxygen, and therefore care should be taken to prevent the exposure of this new product to water vapor or to the atmosphere.

In actual tests using alumina, carbon. nitrogen gas and a teiii 'ierature of 1550 for 5 minutes. analyses show that over 7.0% of the aluminum-present in thealninina carried by the charge appeared in the volatile carbo-nitrid produced. These analyses further show chemically combiiied nitrogen as well as chemically combined carbon in the volatilizedproducts in the proportion requiredby the formula Al N no N It is therefore certain that my volatile product is a carbonitrid and not a 'n-itrid. i

The reactions of my new volatile product when hydrolized leads to the supposition that it producesa polymer of cyanamid in that it gives some of the characteristic re actions of melamin. such as a white precipitate with soluble silver and lead salts.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of myprocess without departing from the spirit of my invention, and therefore. I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

\Vhat I claim.is:-

1. The process of producing a volatile aluminum carbo-nitrid, ,which consists in preparing amixture of alumina carbon and subjecting said mixture in an atmosphere containing free nitrogen to a temperature sufficient to produce said volatile carboin a suitably closed aluminum carbo-nitrid which consists in preparing a mixture of alumina andfcarbon; subjecting said mixture in an 'atmosphere containing nitrogen to a temperature sutlicient to produce said carbo-nitrid, and recovering the latter in a medium devoid of chemically active oxygen, substantially as described. i

The process of producing a volatile aluminum carho-nitrid which consists in preparing a mixture of alumina and carbon; subjecting said mixture in an atmosphere of producer gas to a temperature suilieient to produce said carbo-nitrid, and recovering the latter iii a medium devoid of chemically active oxygen. substantially as described.

4. The process of producing a volatile aluminum carbo-nitrid, which consists in preparing a mixture ot alumina carbon; and subjecting the same in an atmosphere containing free nitrogen to a temperature suliicient to produce said carbo-nitrid thereby causing carbon-nionoxid to be evolved while maintaining the partial pressure of lhe carboii-monoxid present below 400 millimeters of mercury, and collecting said volatile carbo-nitrid substantially as described.

Thehereindescribed new product containing chemically combined carbon, nitrogen and'aluminuiii the-same being volatile.

at 15509 G., capable of forming a white powder HHd'lbSllYdlOlYiZlC product capable ot producing a white precipitate with soluble' silveran'd lead salts,gas well as pro-- ducing ammonia when subjected tothe -action of water z t-200 Q, substantially as described.

0. The process of simultaneously fixing nitrogen and enriching producer gas which consists in preparing a mixture of carbon and aluminum oxid; 'feeding producer gas containing nitrogen to said mixture; and raising the temperature of said mixture] sutliciently to cause some of said nitrogen to v be withdrawn from said gas and chen'ncally fixed and to add additional quantities of carbon monoxid in said producer gas, substantially as described.

- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL PEACOGK. \Vitnesses:

T. A. \Vi'rnniisroox, Fiuxcizs Sinai-1L. 

